Rostrum

David Dunning on COVID and cognitive bias

The latest episode of our coronavirus podcast features David Dunning. Dunning is a pathbreaking expert in the field of psychology, where his research focuses on human misbelief — specifically as it affects our understanding of our own cognitive process and our decision-making. The paradigmatic example of this is the phenomenon that bears his name, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which describes how people with a low ability at a task overestimate that ability. We spoke with Professor Dunning about how his work shines a light on the COVID crisis and how we can prepare for the future.